Zauberer
by Mlle. Wilhemina Wonka
Summary: Something is happening in Anjelika's village, and Will and Jacob are called in to investigate. But what will happen when they are pitted against the single most powerful man in the universe...the man who controls nature itself? JacobAnjelika shipping
1. Notes

I know that this chapter is really short, but I promise the next chapter will be longer. Drop me a review sometime!

Disclaimer: Own nothing. Don't sue.

The cool autumn wind blew through the sky, carrying with it the scent of a weary earth ready for a rest. It picked up the red and brown leaves and tossed them up to the heavens, to fall back to the earth and settle in the road. A carriage rattled down the road over the crisp leaves, stirring them up for a moment, before they settled back down to rest.

Jacob sat, staring out of the tiny window of the tiny carriage, reminiscing about his previous adventures with his brother in the little village they were approaching. His thoughts were interrupted with every rut the rickety old carriage hit. Will sweared loudly whenever this happened, and spurred the old sick mare onward. The mare cost next to nothing, and she was all the brothers could afford; the carriage they had "commandeered" when the owner's back was turned. Jacob thought, as they went over another bump and a torrent of swearing streamed through the window, that the owner may not miss it.

"We're almost there, Jake," Will cried over the din of the carriage's groaning.

"Mmm-hmmm…" Jacob hummed idly, swatting at the leaves that blew in through the window. He unfolded the letter in his hand from Anjelika for the thousandth time and read it. There was something about it that he just couldn't understand.

_Jacob Grimm:_

_I send you fond greetings from my home. I hope all is well. I wish you to come and visit me at my village before the weather forbids any contact between us. There are many things I wish to discuss with you that I cannot relate here. Send Will my love as well._

_Anjelika Strauss_

_Written in the hand of Nikolaus Zauberer, village scholar. _

She seemed so secretive in her letter--quiet and reserved, which Jacob knew very well were not words that described his outspoken friend. And who was this Nikolaus Zauberer? Was he a stranger, or just a recluse whom the brothers didn't see on their last adventure in the village? Was Anjelika afraid of him for some reason?

He sighed for the thousandth time that day as the little village loomed ever closer on the horizon. They would arrive before dark, and he could ask her about it himself. Until then, he would have to content himself with staring at the dull gray sky, trying to fathom the secrets that were set before him in the letter from Anjelika.


	2. Nikolaus Zauberer, Village Scholar

Disclaimer: There's one in the first chapter. Refer back if necessary.

Chapter Two: Nikolaus Zauberer, Village Scholar.

Anjelika mopped sweat from her face as the carriage pulled in to the town square. Her breath caught in her throat, but when she saw Will standing on the seat, reins in one hand, and Jacob looking out the window, she breathed a sigh of relief. She wabted to rub out and grret them, but something stopped her.

She had felt a bit under the weather, and there was something else that forced her to remain inside, praying that the brothers would find their way safely to her village. She didn't know what it was.It was a little like fear, but not quite. She knew, however, that it was directed at one man: Nikolaus Zauberer, the village scholar. She thought to herself that perhaps it was his ghastly appearance that drove her away, or the fact that whenever she did venture out of her home, he was there. He seemed to be around every bend and at the end of every path that she traveled on. It unsettled her.

She set down the rabbit skins she was sewing together and stole another glance out the window. The carriage was now surrounded by a sea of children from the village, all clamoring to greet the brothers first. The children all seemed happy, but the adults were grim and silent. The brothers, ever the center of attention, greeted each of the children with loud clamorous shouts. Anjelika was just about to run out the door and greet them herself, when out of the corner of her eye she saw..._him._

"_Verdammt!_ Must he follow me around constantly?" she swore loudly. All she saw was his silhouette, but it still sent a chill down her spine. There was something about this man that she instinctively distrusted--like a horse knows to distrust a cruel master. She saw his dark outline shift slightly, as if he had been there all along and had just now noticed the brothers and the children's screaming and laughing. He looked around him as though he was a gardener staring out at a lettuce patch full of rabbits.

He stepped forward and his ugly features were cast into light. He looked as though he would have rather stayed in the shadows--his stringy dark hair hung around his gaunt, scarred face. His skin had the appearance of being pulled back too tightly, so that parts of his skull showed through the skin around his glaring green eyes.

The children parted to give him a path, falling silent as he passed through. His cloak billowed out behind him, giving him the appearance of gliding forward instead of walking. This only helped to reinforce the children's fears that he was really a specter instead of a scholar.

Jacob and Will watched in silence as the man glided forward. He stood stiffly, a sneer twisting his mouth into an ugly gash across his face. He bowed

"May I make your acquaintance, gentlemen," he hissed, glaring crookedly at their broken-down carriage and their mare, who, ignoring the children and the brothers, had begun nibbling on the sparse clumps of grass within reach. His lips curled back into a sneer. "I am Nikolaus Zauberer, the village scholar. If you are ever in need of a scribe, may I offer my services." He glanced at Will and then met Jacob's eyes. A sudden gust of wind flew through the village, throwing his cloak up around himself.

_It's him, _he thought to himself, _he's the one!_ His cold green eyes remained locked on Jacob's, trying to discern if Jacob knew anything about who he was. However, no spark of recognition came into Jacob's eyes, and so Nikolaus knew that he knew nothing of what he was. He smirked inwardly as Will elbowed Jacob in the side to introduce himself. However, no introduction was forthcoming. There was something about this man besides his hideous appearance that Jacob didn't like.

Will cleared his throat loudly. "And may I introduce myself. I am Wilhelm Grimm, and this is my brother Jacob. You must forgive his incredibly _rude_ behavior; we were driving all night and he gets a little testy when he doesn't get sleep."

"We thank you for your kind offer, but we know how to write," Jacob added. Will elbowed him in the ribs again to shut him up.

Nikolaus nodded curtly and spun around on his heel. With a swoosh of his cloak, he returned to his position leaned against the wall. The brothers returned to conversing with the villagers, but for the longest time Jacob could feel those piercing green eyes from the shadows burning through him. Anjelika watched the three out of the corner of her window. Nikolaus never once moved, but she got the feeling that he knew she was watching. Shed did not dare to come out in the open with him there.

The brothers walked away as the crowd departed, led to an empty cottage where they would spend the night. Anjelika took one last glance at her surroundings and picked the rabbit skins she was sewing back up. Once she had the protection of darkness--then she would go to them.


End file.
